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Thursday, May 6, 2010

This pasta salad is a "summer staple" in our house. It's a must have almost weekly, we just LOVE it. I created it one summer when we were in college (a looooong time ago). I was asked to bring a pasta salad to a party and I used what I had in my refrigerator (bacon, cheese and tomatoes)...and the rest is history. I get requests to bring it to every family BBQ, summer party and reunion. My brothers devoir it right up and always ask if they can take home the leftovers (which is a huge compliment to me, because all of their wives are excellent cooks). It's super easy to make and compliments anything you serve it with. You can use any shape of pasta that you want...but our favorite is the bow tie pasta (not pictured)...but they are all delicious.

Mayonnaise (the REAL stuff) * I like Best Foods or Western Family brands the best...but use your favorite

1/4 c. Ranch Dressing

salt

pepper

season salt

In a large mixing bowl combine pasta, cooled bacon, diced tomatoes, and grated cheese. Mix well. Add desired amount of mayonnaise, ranch and seasonings. Taste and add more seasonings as needed. (Its a "taste as you make" kind of salad) Stir all ingredients together. Serve.

*IF you are making it ahead of time....DON'T add Mayonnaise/ranch until you are ready to serve. The noodles tend to soak the mayonnaise up and it isn't as creamy. If you have left overs and want to make the salad a creamy again...add a small amount of milk and stir in. You can also add more mayonnaise and ranch if you want to.

This is a new family favorite. (Although I'm getting sick of David saying, "Is this a 'Dayna recipe'? Dayna is such a great cook!" I'm developing a complex. (Sorry Julie, to my husband they're all Dayna recipes.) I used rigatoni which I really liked with this recipe and I used the bacon pieces from a bag since I was too lazy to actually cook the bacon. I also used fat free mayo and thought it was fine. This dish was even great the next day for lunch.